Flickers of Light
by Mrpointyhorns
Summary: In life Kyle is always the light. Stan/Kyle. Originally written for Hanukkah!


Title: Flickers of Light

Author: Mrpointyhorns

Rating: PG-13

Status: Complete

Part: 1/1

Summary: In life Kyle is the light. Originally written for Hankkuah, but I wanted it to be a companion with 7 other stories about light, candle light, fire light, flashlight that sort of thing. But I only got this far!

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Matt and Trey. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

_There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. ~Edith Wharton_

The Mirror

When they were in third grade a substitute took over while their teacher was out with the flu. The substitute let them play games all day, like heads up seven up and hangman. She also had them stand faced to face and one would mirror the others actions.

Kyle always wanted to be the mirror. Stan went too fast when they started, but soon Stan learned to slow down and Kyle learned to anticipate Stan's movements better. They were the best in class and by the time the substitute left Kyle could mirror Stan's movements when their backs were turned to each other.

The Candle

Stan tapped his pencil on the notepad. He had been at school for the last ten hours only six of them actually involved class, one for practice and three waiting in the media room with Kyle. Kyle had volunteered to man the teen hotline on Mondays. It was supposed to be anonymous, but Kyle told Stan before he'd even signed up. So far nothing interesting had happen. A girl called to ask about what she should do about her friend who was talking bad about her behind her back. That was earlier in the evening and it didn't interest Stan at all.

Kyle turned to Stan. "I told you that you didn't have to wait."

"I know but I was kind of hoping that if you got bored enough we could mess around," Stan admitted.

Kyle smiled at Stan, but shook his head. "Stan this is really important. If someone calls…"

"The phone will ring. You'll hear it. We'll stop," Stan promised. "It's just kissing nothing else."

"Nothing?"

"I swear." Stan held up two fingers in a Boy Scout promise. Kyle raised a brow until Stan lowered his hand. "I promise Kyle I understand how important this is to you."

"Ok."

Stan smiled standing up and spinning Kyle's chair around and straddling him. They were used to this sort of thing so Kyle's hands found Stan's hair instantly and Stan's were tugging on Kyle's shirt not to take it off, but to touch. Stan's hands were always cold and he liked to warm them against Kyle's skin. Kyle knew this so he didn't stop him. Kyle opened his mouth and their tongues met. The tongues spoke a secret language that they had learned once ago. _I missed you. I can't get enough of you. I want more of you._

_Brring! Brring!_

"No." Stan whined.

Kyle pushed Stan's face away from his and Stan hung his head, but didn't leave Kyle's lap. Kyle picked up the phone. He rolled his eyes because Stan put his head on Kyle's shoulder. Kyle's freehand played gently with Stan's hair. "Teen Hotline."

There was silence.

Kyle waited before saying, "Hello?"

Still there was silence.

Kyle didn't look annoy like Stan felt. He cleared his throat. "If you can hear me, but you don't want to talk whistle."

There wasn't a whistle, but there was loud blowing like the teen was trying to whistle, but didn't know how.

"It's okay. I'm K. I'll just talk until you're ready to talk." Stan snorted and twisted about so that he wasn't straddling Kyle. He sat half on the chair and half on Kyle. He cuddled close to Kyle, his head close to the phone so that he could hear when the teen started talking too. "My little brother Ike is building a photon laser because the kids in his class have been making fun of him because he's been moved up three grades. Mom said it was alright as long as I helped him use the power tools. I started working on it with him hoping that I could change his mind on using it.

"Well, when we finished making it. He went out to test it on the mailbox. He blew up the entire front yard and Mom was pissed! She took the photon laser away and grounded us for six weeks. Then the pentagon came and it turns out Ike wasn't making the photon laser for his classmates, but he was hired to do it."

"You're so boring," Stan whispered in Kyle's ear. He had heard the story before and it interested him, but why would it interest some other kid that didn't know Kyle and probably lived on the other side of the state.

"I'm scared to die." The voice was a quiet and soft and Stan couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl.

"Are you dying?" Kyle asked.

"I think I have to. No one wants me around. Everyday I go to school people don't even notice me. They don't even know my name."

Kyle sat up straight jostling Stan until he lifted his head off his shoulder. "Hey, don't say that…"

"I don't want to be alone."

"You might feel alone right now, but you're not. I'm talking to you right now." Kyle pulled at his curly red hair unsure of what he needed to do or say to help this person. "What do you like to do? What interests you?"

"I like hockey."

"Street, ice or field?" Kyle asked.

"Ice."

"Do you play?"

"I played when I was little, but when Mom remarried we moved and I stopped playing."

"Do you like to watch it now though?"

"Yeah I like to watch."

"Cute boy?" Kyle asked.

"Uh…I'm…I can't."

"Why not, I do." Kyle wrapped his arm around Stan's waist hugging him tight. Stan understood and wrapped his arms around Kyle, holding him.

Silence.

"Okay hey we don't have to talk about that."

"Yeah."

"Hey, I know what we're going to do okay?"

"Okay…"

"You're going to have to work with me okay."

"Okay."

"I want you to sign you up for a hockey team."

"I can't play hockey!"

"You probably can't play hockey at your school, but the youth league in your area should have hockey teams for beginners. Will you sign up for a team?" Kyle asked.

"I guess." Kyle's face lit up at the sound of acceptance, it was a slimmer of hope for both Kyle and the teen on the other end of the phone. Stan stroked his hand over Kyle's check for a second his own smile grew, because he couldn't help cherish in Kyle's accomplishment. He had wanted so badly to help someone so he joined the teen help line. So far the time volunteering hadn't given Kyle the results he wanted, but Stan knew that a small conversation, a few words had helped some teen that they didn't even know. Stan also knew, from the bright light shining in Kyle's eyes, that this teen had not satisfied Kyle's need to be helpful, only kindled it and brought it further to light. That's how Stan knew, how he always knew, that even though Kyle liked to play the mirror, in life he was the light.


End file.
